25 nationalities and 50 PhD holders – Murata believes in internationalism and education
The semiconductor industry represents a significant opportunity for strengthening the Finnish economy and exports in the coming years. The industry’s growth depends on the availability of expert workers. “Finland’s entire semiconductor industry will need thousands of new employees over the next ten years,” estimates Tuomas Nurmi, HR Manager at Murata Finland.
Murata Finland is part of the Murata Group, which is headquartered in Japan. The Finnish company designs and manufactures MEMS sensors based on its semiconductor technology in Vantaa for the vehicle industry, health technology and industrial applications in aircraft, forestry machinery and the mining industry.
The Finnish semiconductor industry is expected to increase revenues from EUR 1.6 billion today to EUR 5–6 billion by 2035. Murata’s unit in Finland has developed a systematic operating method for several years to ensure it has access to sufficient expert personnel now and in the future.
“The operating model combines internal actions and external cooperation with parties such as Finnish universities. Our approach to supporting employees in reaching higher levels of education is based on a study path. We work with universities, especially Aalto University, in various disciplines,” says Tuomas Nurmi, the HR Manager.
“We have worked with Aalto to develop a lifelong learning programme. One concrete example of our university cooperation was the launch of semiconductor technology as a dedicated minor subject at Aalto. Previously, education related to our field was dispersed across different degree programmes.”
Murata employs 50 PhD holders
Murata believes in the power of higher education. Approximately 40 per cent of the 900-strong staff at the Vantaa site hold a master’s or doctoral degree, and about 10 per cent have come from universities of applied sciences.
“We want to further increase the number of highly educated personnel, thereby boosting productivity. We also want to contribute to societal development as Finland endeavours to increase the proportion of young adults with university degrees to 50 per cent.”
Murata employs about fifty holders of doctoral degrees, and the company encourages its employees to pursue doctoral studies while working. Why is so much doctoral knowledge needed?
“Our industry is technically demanding. For example, research and development involve complex entities that require in-depth expertise. We strongly believe in the importance of education, and we do not question the recruitment or training of PhD holders. Doctoral education also expands networks in the academic world and internationally.”
Murata also engages in systematic collaboration with vocational schools. This includes five annual events where students can learn about opportunities in the semiconductor industry. The company’s production employees have been able to develop their expertise at Vantaa Vocational College Varia.
“We do not have a strict education requirement for production; we can also recruit employees who only have a school education. They can then complete a qualification in a field such as information and communication technology at Varia on an apprenticeship. The students receive a salary and a qualification, and many find it highly motivating and good for them.”
Having 25 different nationalities is a strength
Murata’s personnel in Finland represent 25 different nationalities. Tuomas Nurmi says that different cultural and linguistic backgrounds cause fewer problems than one might expect. Internationalism is now so ordinary that people in the workplace may not even give it a second thought.
“International students are uncertain about their future in Finland. Many have difficulty finding contacts that could open doors to permanent jobs. As a society, we have far to go in terms of supporting students so that they consider Finland to be an opportunity for their future and career.”
Tuomas Nurmi
“Diversity enriches team dynamics, problem-solving, and product design. Different approaches are also useful in supervisory work. Internationalism enhances our ability to operate in a global environment, whether in collaboration within our group or in relations with customers and suppliers.”
Nurmi thinks that attracting employees to Finland and retaining them for the long term is the area that requires the most attention. Murata has invested in supporting new employees when they move to Finland.
“The employees who come directly from abroad often move to Finland with their families and are committed to building their lives here. Recruitment like this emphasises a sense of security and work/life balance. We have a partner who supports us in the immigration process, finding a home, and searching for schools and day-care centres. This has been an effective practice.”
Nurmi says Murata has been increasingly successful at retaining its employees as the years have passed. For example, the research and development unit’s staff turnover is almost zero.
“Universities have done an excellent job of attracting students.”
According to statistics from the Finnish National Agency for Education, 55 per cent of foreign higher education students find work in Finland after graduation. This number is high by international standards. Murata also wants to ensure that students and doctoral researchers come to the company to work and remain there.
“Most of our international employees come to Finland via universities—without them, recruitment would be much more difficult for us. Finland’s universities have done an excellent job of attracting students from abroad, which has been a big advantage for us,” Nurmi says.
“We invest a lot of time and resources into ensuring that foreign students at Finnish universities know what the semiconductor industry in Finland can offer, which companies operate in the industry, and how their students could lead to a job, for example, at Murata.”
“The current university intake is not enough.”
Tuomas Nurmi would like decision-makers to ensure that university research activities and professors can operate effectively.
“Competitive research attracts international students who may remain in Finland and integrate into working life. Long-term research funding and the active involvement of companies in research collaboration are key for this. The number of university students in the annual intake is insufficient to satisfy the semiconductor industry’s labour demand. Moreover, the birth rate is declining, and obstacles to work-related immigration make Finland less attractive internationally.”
Tuomas Nurmi lists the importance of the semiconductor industry and its experts on three levels
- Globally, the industry will enable the green transition and play a key role in combating climate change. For example, solar panels and LEDs are semiconductor products, and wind turbines, distributed energy production, and electric vehicles all need various semiconductor components to operate.
- In Europe, the semiconductor industry is crucial for ensuring a secure supply of technology. It is essential to have sufficient design and production within the EU. Finland plays an important role in this.
- In Finland, the semiconductor industry is growing and has a strong export orientation. Not many sectors offer such opportunities to finance a welfare society.
Text: Mikko Viljanen
Photos: Liisa Takala